Thinking

The 4 People In Your Community That Know A Lot About Tourism

When clients ask us to manage a strategic co-creation session they often include recommendations on preferred participants.

Typically, the list is composed of a few friendly faces that appear regularly at meetings. Stakeholders with a known and agreeable perspective.

While familiar peers should be included during the co-creative process, an over reliance on prevailing opinion will restrict results and potentially prevent new discoveries.

The co-creation process should include a variety of carefully selected voices and perspectives from employees, stakeholders, consumers and citizens.

We frequently find that some of the best insights come from those outside (or just on the fringes) of the tourism industry.

Taxi / Shuttle Drivers

Including the perspective of a taxi or shuttle driver can provide an anecdotal shortcut to consumer expectations (arriving) and satisfaction (departing) with your destination. Drivers are essentially shadowing tourists throughout the day and gather a lot of clues about the overall tourist experience. The trick is asking the right questions to find the right insights.

Real Estate Agents

We love talking with real estate agents. Especially when the co-creative process is centered on neighborhoods and the local experience. Realtors maintain a unique knowledge on the local community, especially developing neighborhoods and popular areas. Plus, they typically possess a pretty clear understanding on the value of tourism to a holistically healthy community.

Architects

Adding an architect to the co-creation session helps provide a different type of thinker to the conversation. We find that architects, urban planners and designers in general offer a broader perspective on the problem as well as a personality that is comfortable with collaboration.

Travel Agents

While we consistently encounter surprise with this suggestion, a local travel agent can contribute a unique role reversal perspective to the strategy development process. Knowledgeable on tourism trends and familiar with industry terms, the right travel agent provides an often overlooked perspective on tourism strategy development.